January 4, 2008

By Melanie Penner

After countless hours of planning and preparing, Chautauqua Spirit 2008 is finally here and what a year it will be for the town of Morden.

An amazing number of the events in the lineup will bring in well known people from afar with strong connections to Morden. Natalie Rostad, David Rabinovitch and Ramsay Cook are just a few names to look for this year.
The “Journey Home Festival” in June, Chautauqua Celebration in September, a focus on roses in the summer, new murals, projects at the Fossil Discovery Centre and numerous workshops are just some of the diverse events that will celebrate Morden’s cultural accomplishments.

The daunting task of keeping the finances and events in order for the year lies in the hands of Nancy Penner, Project Coordinator for Morden‘s “Chautauqua Spirit“ celebrations and partner in Henry J. Penner Financial.
Penner brings experience in program development and event planning to the position.
She has a diverse background in financial management and leadership as well as involvement in community organizations.

Penner said when she was initially asked to apply for the project coordinator position, she did not realize the magnitude of the project, nor how prestigious it was for Morden to be awarded the grant.

Penner said the role appealed to her because it was a term contract position and was flexible enough to fit in with her other work commitments.

From the proposal stage to receiving the approval and getting set to launch events in 2008 there have been many hours spent by numerous individuals working out the fine details.

“We have a phenomenal committee working on this,” said Penner. “All the groups are on board 110 per cent. They are so excited about the events and taking on special projects.”

When all is said and done, Penner noted hundreds of volunteers and participants will have been involved.

“There are close to 40 events and activities happening. It will be interesting to track all the volunteer hours and at the end of day see how much time has gone into this. It’s going to take a lot of people to execute this project and it’s going to touch a lot of people and leave a positive legacy.”

A website linked from Morden’s town site will be set up to keep people informed of upcoming events. A print program of events will also be distributed in early March.

“Communicating with the community when events are happening and what’s coming will be important,” said Penner, adding the events are not exclusive to Morden and organizers want to encourage surrounding communities to be part of the celebration as well.

“We want this grant to be legacy building for the groups involved and provide them with the exposure that will also help their memberships grow as a result of increased awareness.”

The Cultural Capitals of Canada grant is allowing the community groups involved to take on events they normally could not because funds were not available.

“It’s about highlighting the artistic achievements of people within our community and exposing them to the arts, culture and our heritage,” said Penner.

Penner said the grant is also allowing them to build on what is already in place and develop it to have a long term benefit to the community.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is one organization that will use funds to develop strategies for tourism now and in the future. A bronze bust of Henry Marshall will also be erected to commemorate his pioneering work in horticulture.

A great deal of time was spent selecting events that would fit with the very specific criteria set out for the Cultural Capitals of Canada grant. But after more than a year had passed from when the application had been sent in, many thought their proposal was “dead in the water.”

It was a pleasant surprise when the announcement came down from Ottawa in July of 2007 that Morden would in fact be designated a cultural capital for 2008.

Morden’s proposal was one of the first rural proposals to be accepted on a first time application basis.

“We put all our energies behind the application process and did it right the first time,” Penner said.

“From that point we had to get busy and go back the groups involved two years ago and develop the projects further or modify them,” said Penner, adding a lot of time was spent revising the budget and clarifying points for Ottawa.

The CCC grant provides up to $500,000 for a community population under 50,000.

Each “Chautauqua Spirit” event has to have a person to be the legs to execute it, noted Penner, and they needed to be brought up to speed on the budget.

The grant was awarded based on projects outlined in the application process, and therefore no new projects could be added.

The Cultural Capitals of Canada grant does not fund existing events, but pays for expanded portions or new events, said Penner.

“For example the Back 40 Folk Festival is not a new event, but to celebrate it‘s 20th anniversary is being expanded this year and so they have been allocated funds,” she explained.

Penner said most people are aware that Morden has received this award, and the groups involved are definitely excited.
“Regardless of your interests “Chautauqua Spirit” will have something for everyone,” noted Penner.

“You do not have be an arts and culture person to enjoy the line up of events. Whether you sit back and watch the performance or take part in a workshop or exhibit, young and old will have a lot to participate in.”